269. Sold and Still Paying the Bill
==============================
Lin Nan found the entertainment options at her grandfather’s house to be seriously lacking.
After all, even the Wi-Fi kept hiccupping, and while 4G was available, she barely had any data left. Watching short videos was out of the question, so she had to painfully recharge ten bucks just to dive into her novel again.
Fortunately, compared to her previous idleness at her grandfather’s place, she now held a glimmer of hope—every now and then, she checked her messages, hoping Chen Yao would initiate some chit-chat in his spare time.
Getting Lin Nan to reach out first? Fat chance! That would make it seem like she was glued to Chen Yao.
Her grandfather seemed to have softened towards her lately. When he first found out Lin Nan had turned into a girl, he went out of his way to pamper her. But now, perhaps he had gotten used to it, treating her like he did Wu Jiaming—no major differences at all.
Grandma wasn’t glaring at her like last time either. Still, Lin Nan used to rank among the top three favorites in Grandma’s mind—she would chat and squish Lin Nan’s cheeks. Nowadays, though? Air. Just plain air.
Having hunkered down at home for a while, the other young folks’ schedules were starting to spiral out of control, despite the elder couple keeping to their routine.
Lin Nan was getting accustomed to late nights and even later mornings. By the time she woke up, it was already past ten!
But a glance at Liu Xinyi on the floor showed her still in sweet dreams.
Checking her phone, alas, no messages from Chen Yao. Lin Nan yawned and shuffled off to wash up in the hallway bathroom.
She opened the door only to find Wu Jiaming already brushing his teeth and splashing water on his face.
“Up so early?”
He turned to see Lin Nan and didn’t react too much. “Give me three minutes; I’ll be done.”
“Mm.”
Yawning again, Lin Nan looked down at Sprite, who had decided to rub against her feet for some affection. Must be hungry.
Turning back into the room, she opened two cans of cat food, one for each cat, then returned to the bathroom door to wait for Wu Jiaming to finish his morning routine.
“How about we go to the mountains today?” Wu Jiaming suggested. “The sun looks pretty great outside.”
“Not going; there’s nothing fun up there.”
“How about barbecue in the backyard, then?” He sighed dramatically. “It’s been so boring lately. We’ve got to shake things up or we’ll go insane!”
“Whatever you say. I’m good with anything.” Lin Nan leaned against the doorframe and inquired, “Grandpa hasn’t gone out for groceries lately, has he?”
“Bought a ton of New Year’s goodies before the holiday; should last till the Lantern Festival.”
Ah, that explained why last night’s dishes felt a bit… not fresh.
Once Wu Jiaming finished his washing, he stepped out of the bathroom, and the two switched spots to continue their conversation.
Lin Nan picked up her pink toothbrush from yesterday and, while rinsing, slurred a question, “Aren’t Grandpa and Grandma stuck at home going crazy?”
“Every day I have to play Mahjong with those two.” Wu Jiaming rolled his eyes. “They’re not bored at all.”
The old folks had been playing Mahjong for decades, and for Wu Jiaming and the younger generation, it was pretty clear they were no match, easily losing more than winning. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be looking so miffed.
But judging by the vibe, it didn’t seem like they were playing for money, or else he’d be way more frustrated.
After chatting for a bit, Wu Jiaming headed upstairs to crash in on Wu Guodong’s internet as the only signal worth a dime in the whole villa was up there.
Lin Nan hadn’t cared about hanging out with a bunch of guys before, but now that she was Chen Yao’s girlfriend, even if he didn’t mind, she felt she should at least pay attention to her image a bit.
So after washing up, she just returned to her room, yawning and sinking back into bed with her novel.
Liu Xinyi, having been stirred awake by all the commotion, was snuggled in her blanket, staring wide-eyed and refusing to budge.
“We’re going downstairs for breakfast soon!” Lin Nan glanced at her still-dazed cousin. “Get up, hurry! We’re barbecuing this afternoon!”
“Barbecue?” Interest piqued at once.
“Cousin said so; go ask him upstairs.”
Liu Xinyi didn’t even bother washing her face, rushing upstairs to interrogate Wu Jiaming.
Lin Nan let out a long, expressionless sigh and opened QQ to check for messages, still nothing.
She felt like igniting some chatter and texted Chen Yao a few words.
“Where are you? Still sleeping?”
Holding her phone, Lin Nan gawked at those five words for ages with still no reply from Chen Yao.
He was probably either sleeping or gaming, but her mind was racing with wild thoughts.
He used to reply faster; with the current situation, he should be just lazing at home like usual or something, right?
Was he getting less interested in her?
He couldn’t possibly be flirting with other girls, could he?
Why wasn’t he ignoring her?
Half an hour of anxious waiting later, Lin Nan finally got a message from Chen Yao.
“Just woke up.”
By that time, she had already finished breakfast and was standing by the dining table watching Grandma and Grandpa, along with her cousin and brother, play Mahjong. The moment she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, she quickly whipped it out.
“Are you a pig?”
However, just like last time, after sending out the message, she was left twiddling her thumbs for what felt like ages.
Even though Lin Nan knew Chen Yao cared for her, the wait still made her feel neglected.
“Sis? What’s wrong?” Liu Xinyi turned to glance back at the fidgety Lin Nan. “Can you stop shaking your leg on my chair? It’s wobbling.”
“Fine.”
Lin Nan cradled her phone and walked over to the back kitchen, settling at a small square table.
But there was Wu Guodong, hiding there like a chimney, puffing away to his heart’s content. The thick smoke made Lin Nan cough.
Seeing her plop down next to him, he immediately whined, “Your boyfriend’s quite the character. Handed me a pack of cigarettes, but half of them are moldy. Is he trying to k*ll me?”
“This weather is always rainy; it’s normal for things to mold, right?” Lin Nan shot back without hesitation.
“Oy, how long have you been dating him, and you’re already defending him?”
He clutched his chest dramatically, “I’ve bought you food and drinks for so many years, and I don’t even know how many times I’ve helped carry the weight for you…”
Lin Nan rolled her eyes, muttering, “It’s all your fault for dragging me to the county, making me stay at his house for so long.”
“You could have asked him to take you back that afternoon, you know? The roads were closed the next day.”
“I would have!”
Lin Nan’s face flushed slightly, recalling how Chen Yao’s family had clearly lied to her about the electric bike’s flat tire. But everyone had moved on; getting angry was pointless, especially since she had never brought it up with Chen Yao and was even pretending like it never happened.
Honestly, now that she thought of it, she realized how deep that whole ruse was.
“So coincidental?” Wu Guodong exclaimed, sounding intrigued. “You don’t really believe that, do you? No wonder you got sold and still helped count the money.”
That kind of silly girl? Thanks, but no thanks.
Lin Nan found his assessment all too accurate and yet infuriating. “Mind your own business!”
